'Not surprised after being dropped': Carlton Cole
West Ham United striker Carlton Cole has opined that he felt Fabio Capello made the right decision to drop him out of England’s squad which is set to take on Montenegro on Tuesday.
Cole said, “Being dropped from the England squad wasn’t a surprise at all. I haven’t been playing so I didn’t deserve to be called up. In the Bolton game I missed a penalty – and that has defined my season so far. If that had gone in I think I would have
gone on to score a few more goals by now. But there’s a fine line in football sometimes and you get to learn from these things – that was a big moment to learn from. Right now, I’m heavily involved in the character-building process.”
The 26-year-old striker is yet to score for the Hammers in the 9 appearances he has made this season in all competitions. This is the reason why Italian coach Fabio Capello decided to leave him out of the Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro. After the
disappointing World Cup exit, Capello is taking no chances with his squad selection and it seems that he’s decided that Cole is not ready to play for his country as yet.
Cole mentioned that with the arrival of Frederic Piquionne and Victor Obinna at West Ham, he had fallen out of favour, but the striker was determined to regain his place. He said, “You have to understand that for the last two years I’ve been the first-choice
striker. Now Victor and Freddie have come in and it’s time for me to up my game. I have to admit that I haven’t been the same since my knee injury last year. I’m happy to admit that. I’m very honest about myself and I’m by far my biggest critic. I’ve just
not been the same.”
Cole was confident in his ability and is aiming to bounce back to reclaim his place in both club and country. The Englishman believed that he needed some dedication and hard work to get to where he wanted to. He mentioned about an earlier injury which had
him sidelined for a while. Cole said, “I’ve got to find my form and it’s a good thing that they are performing in my place. It can only inspire me to up my game. I have been told to step it up but sometimes you need to have that in yourself. I believe, though,
it is important to be told things like that. I’ve bounced back from worse. Two-and-a-half years ago, I wasn’t even playing.”
He revealed how being left out of the squad had actually motivated him to improve his form and return to his goal scoring self. Cole was confident that this exclusion from the squad was temporary and that despite being left out, this was the best time of
his career. He reiterated how hard work was the key to gaining his place. The player added that he was determined to do whatever it took as he said, “To get where I am and get into the England squad has given me the best motivation to get back to where I was.
This is still generally the best time in my career.”
He added, “I’ve been playing regularly for West Ham before now and that’s all I’ve ever wanted in my life as a footballer. West Ham gave me that opportunity and I’m so grateful they did. Hopefully, I can get back among the goals for them soon… But the manager
knows my quality and the fans know my quality – I’ll be back.” Cole was a summer target for Liverpool, and despite the Reds continued interest, the player decided to stay on with West Ham. He is confident that his loyalty will be repaid and his missed penalty
against Bolton would be forgiven.
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